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Farm Bureau Praises House Farm Bill Reform
WASHINGTON,
D.C., July 27, 2007 – The House-passed farm bill establishes a new
benchmark for reform while retaining a viable economic safety net for
America’s farmers and ranchers. The skillfully crafted bill addresses the
concerns of taxpayers, increases support for agricultural environmental
programs and balances the diverse needs of America’s family-based food and
fiber production system, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.
“The farm bill passed by the House 231-191 strikes a
reasonable balance in allocating benefits among our nation’s farming and
ranching families who grow a safe and secure supply of food and fiber for
America and the world,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “Rep.
Collin Peterson walked a tightrope in developing this legislation in the House
Agriculture Committee. He did an outstanding job of shepherding it through the
House for approval.”
House debate of the Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of
2007 (H.R. 2419) included consideration of more than 30 amendments. A key
amendment vote occurred when a Farm Bureau-opposed measure that would have
gutted the “three-legged” economic safety net was defeated by a
resounding 309-117 vote. The vote signaled that support for stripping funding
from commodity-based programs, as proposed by Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.), has
eroded considerably since a similar measure garnered 200 votes during debate of
the 2002 farm bill.
Stallman said that vote was indicative of the level of
strong support for continuing a basic level of public investment to ensure a
secure and reliable domestic food supply for American consumers.
“This farm bill benefits all sectors of agriculture,
including new support for fruit and vegetable producers, and it provides real
policy reforms,” Stallman said. “For the first time in recent
history, no additional funding is provided for commodity programs. At the same
time, the bill meets the needs of more of America’s farmers by providing
$1.6 billion in new funding for specialty crop research, conservation, pest and
disease programs, and nutrition.
“Overall, this bill directly benefits America’s
taxpayers because it is fiscally responsible, spending $20 billion less than
the prior farm bill. That is real reform. There was greater emphasis, however,
in directing additional support toward nutrition, energy security and
supporting rural communities. There also is more funding to help farmers take
better care of our nation’s natural resources.”
Stallman said the House farm bill more effectively balances
support programs among all types of crops and gives farmers the opportunity to
enroll in a “revenue-based counter-cyclical program,” which could
prove more responsive to addressing their economic challenges, according to
AFBF.
“These reforms encourage individual farmers to produce
crops demanded by the marketplace while at the same time delivering better
economic protection against the many uncertainties they face, such as volatile
crop prices and extreme weather conditions,” Stallman said. “The bill
is designed to help smooth out the valleys of uncertainty most individual
farmers would otherwise be unable to weather alone. In doing so, the bill
supports the production of our nation’s food and fiber staples and it
preserves a way of life that benefits all of American society.”
Stallman said the new bill also is important because it
includes assistance to address the needs of young and beginning farmers, and it
includes provisions to help farmers grow crops for the production of home-grown
renewable fuels.
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Mace Thornton (202)
406-3641
macet@fb.org |
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Cyndie Sirekis (202)
406-3649
cyndies@fb.org |
http://www.fb.org/index.php?fuseaction=newsroom.newsfocus&year=2007&file=nr0727.html
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